


Something we left in the desert

by fightuntilyoucan



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-05
Updated: 2020-01-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:35:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22131157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fightuntilyoucan/pseuds/fightuntilyoucan
Relationships: Teddy Altman/Nathan Riggs
Kudos: 3





	Something we left in the desert

The sun was bright and the air was so fresh after the rain. She loved rain especially after the shifts in Iraq or Afghanistan. The rain drops always washed her and her thoughts. She was so happy from return even if it was only one surgery. She knew that it will be though for her, saw Owen with another women but after all she been through, her feelings wasn’t so strong, for the first time she could breathe without thinking about anybody. She was free and open minded. She throws the empty cup of coffee and entered the ER. She knew that everything changed not only for this place but also for her.

He saw her immediately, he remember her that way, her long hair, light blue eyes and the way she walks give a signal to the ambient that she know what she wants and get it, always.  
The few of the doctors stayed at the hospital corridor, Amelia, Owen, Arizona and Callie stood by the nurse station. Any of the doctors doesn’t paid attention at her.  
“We can’t do this at Mer’s house, she just clean it up so bad, that we must use a napkins if we drink something,” Amelia said.  
“So where? Trailer, maybe?” Owen offered.  
“Yes! We make a bonfire!” Amelia shouted,  
“We will sing and we back sausages…Kids will love that,” Callie said.  
“Okay, so when?” Arizona asked,  
“Maybe after this huge operation? You know the one, which make me came here?” Teddy said with the smile.  
“Teddy,” Arizona and Callie almost shouted her name “What are you doing here?”  
“Bailey doesn’t say anything? I will operate. The tumor in the right side is too big, and Bailey asks me to do this.” she looked at Owen with gaze.  
“Hey, Owen.”  
“Hey Teddy,” he took a step and hugged her.  
“You don’t know each other. This is Amelia Shepherd the chief of neurosurgeons. This is Teddy Altman, cardio.”  
“Hey I am Amelia,”  
“Teddy,” she squeezed her hand.  
“So if anyone know each other, can we talk about the party we’ll have-“  
“Storm Barbie, it’s really you,” Nathan asks with disbelief.  
“Nate! What are you-“  
He took a step to her and lifts her up, she hugged him tight and gave him a big kiss in check. They not paid attention on anyone, like the universe shrunk to this two person, talking about the past.

She stood up near the operation table almost six long hours, the patient wasn’t easy, his tumor was a size of small ball and every move she made was at risk. After six hours, she walk away from the table and made a couple of moves which wasn’t so mechanical, like those she made a seconds ago. Teddy looked at the gallery and fined his blue eyes from the crowd. He looked at her with the same passion and admiration, she felt his look on her skin, it doesn’t bother, it was like a cold wind in sunny day, her thoughts run to the old times. For a moment, when she was smiling to herself, she had a feeling that he thinks about the same thing. She closes the patient and leaves the OR, when she turn around to look at those eyes once more, the gallery was almost empty.

“This was amazing!” Arizona shout,  
“The way you cut the tumor,” Callie say with admire,  
“Teddy is the best cardio surgeon on this planet.” Owen said looking into her eyes,  
“Just don’t fall in love with her so quick,” Amelia said with irony,  
“Don’t worry, I am the one who was in love with him, he loves different women than I am,” she answered,  
All the doctors looked at Teddy, some of them were surprised, she didn’t tell those things in public and now her feelings were exposed. She looked at Owen and later on Amelia, she doesn’t want to screw the things between them, even if she still can’t forgive him, after he fired her and keep a secret that Henry was death. This felling was still inside of her, so deep that she couldn’t find them or just don’t want to do it.  
“I am sorry, I am a bit tired and I talk stupid things,” she said,  
“It’s okay, but you will be at the bonfire? Today, at 9pm. You can take company with you,” Amelia said with a smile.  
“I can bring someone with me? It’s okay?”  
“Yeah, sure. More is better,”  
“Okay,”

The cafeteria was silent and empty, she saw his dark her and later his blue eyes, she always think that those eyes could see her through, his smile was lazy and the dimples makes her knees tremble. She took her coffee, the second on this day, and sat in front of him, she wasn’t ready to sit near him, his warm body was for her like drug, and so after she sat her mouth can’t stop talking.  
“What are you doing here? Why you chose Seattle? Did you know that Owen is here? Maybe you could go at the party with me, so much change since I was here before,”  
“Calm down, you always talk too much but now you are really fast,”  
He heard an empty noise, like something hits on the hard surface, after second he feel the pain in his right tibia.  
“You kick me,” he said with pain on his face,  
“You say that I talk too much, so I decide to communicates more not verbally,” she said with a sweet smile,  
“Okay, it want happened again, I know you are a badass but what you did today in the OR,” he looked at her with his ice blue eyes, “This was amazing and hot,” he ended.  
“I didn’t know that cutting the tumor is hot but thank you,” she smiled, looking into her cup,  
The silence was worse than her nervous talking, she sit there with a guy who she really like and the only thing she can think about was how the hell she can ask him on that fucking party.  
“You said something about the party,” Nathan ask gently,  
“Yeah, it’s bonfire. I was invited by Amelia and Owen but I don’t know if I want to go,”  
“You should. I am sure you miss Owen and this will be the chance to talk.”  
“Yeah. I say to Amelia that I was in love with him, so I don’t think that she will be happy about that,”  
“It’s okay, Amelia is a good person. She is the only one who wants to talk with me here. I am not very popular here,”  
“Owen,” she whispered,  
“Owen,” he answered, “So I go there with you if later you go somewhere with me,” Nathan said,  
“Where?”  
“It will be a surprise,”  
“Deal, I will be ready at 8:30.”  
“So it’s a date,” he said, looking on his pager.  
“It’s not-“  
“Don’t deny Storm Barbie, you want to date me since Iraq,” he smiles. Leaving her speechless in the cafeteria.

She never was so nervous in her life, she was going on the party with a man who she really likes. He was just in time, his black jeans were tight where they should be and his blue shirt was bringing out the color of his eyes.

Nathan was just about to bring them some drinks, when Owen took a step to his old friend.  
“Hey, you made it,” he smiled,  
“Yes. I am with Nathan, he went for a drinks,”  
“You and Riggs?”  
“We like each other since Iraq,”  
“You was in Iraq when my sister,-“  
“Yes. I was,”  
Owen take a deep breath, they didn’t talk about it, they were good friends but since the case with Henry they tear apart.  
“I go find Amelia, have fun”  
“You too.”

She was alone on a bonfire full of people, she knew that anything isn’t like in the past, but know she knows it even more, she was just about to leave when someone touched her elbow.  
“You are leaving?” the brunette ask,  
“Yes. I shouldn’t be here. I can ruined your part,”  
“Stop that! I am not mad or anything. Owen told me about you and I really don’t mind about what you said. We are married now and I am sure you find a nice guy, I think you already find one,”  
“Me and Riggs? No it’s not like that,” she smiled,  
“You remind me someone,”  
“Yeah, who?”  
“The girl who didn’t want to admit her feelings. Well you remind me of me when I deny that I love Owen,” she smiled to herself,  
“I hope you will be happy.”  
“We will and I have a hunch that you will also find this feeling,”

“You want to leave me here?” he ask,  
“No. I promise you something, remember?” she answered,  
“So we can leave now? We can stay, I saw that you talked with Owen,”  
“Yes, I talk with him, but that doesn’t change anything. We can go now,” she looked at Nathan.

He gave her his hand, so she can go up, his hand was so warm and this warm went thru her heart. She stand on the gravel ground, her heart start to beat faster, Teddy always have that feeling when she was on the open space. The night was warm and silent, they sat on the warm ground, the sun which was already low, put a shades on the sky, they sat there without rush, any word destroyed the perfect moment. Teddy and Nathan were sitting on the hospital rooftop, when one of them break the silent.  
“Thank you,” she whispered,  
“I told you that you will like the surprise,”  
“I don’t mean the surprise, which is amazing and this view-” she looked at the sky, “I mean thank you for Iraq,”  
“It was ages ago,”  
“It wasn’t. You know that. The thing, the moment between us, it wasn’t just anger sex for me, it wasn’t that it was a one night stand like revenge or something. I was angry, I talked with Owen then and he just ignore me and it hurts,”  
“Neither for me,” he looked at the ground,  
“I will never forgive myself that I run,”  
“You run because of Megan, I was son of the bitch these times, I should run after you but I thought that my love for her was, real. I really thought that but now, after you came here and I see your smile, I remember myself the days in Iraq.”  
“You could tell Owen, who was this girl, you cheated his sister with,” she lower her voice,  
“It’s not Owen’s thing, who I sleep with. I know you loved him, maybe you still do but he is with Amelia now and before her… I think he lost his chance. His lost my luck” he smiled to himself and reach to his pocket.  
“What is that?” Teddy ask, looking at his hand,  
“This is yours, you left it, then in Iraq. I should send you this but I want to have something, something that belongs to you.”  
“Nathan,” she gave him her hand.  
The silver thing, sparkling in the shine of the city light and moon. He buckle the bracelet on her wrist. The blue stone had a color of her eyes. He hold her hand, when his lips was reaching hers.  
They closed eyes, while his forehead touched hers, the feelings, dreams and fears, that was all they left in the desert. In the time when their lips touches again, the first drop of the rain fall from the sky.


End file.
